Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-05-26

least done wrong by absconding, and il
she has had any reason to complain OF
ill treatment she should make her appeal
from the house where she belongs. The
same gentleman tells me that many hus
bands sell their wives to houses OF i'll
fame.
Profitable Poultry-The Care of Chickens
Chickens will begin to hatch on the
twentieth day if eggs were fresh wheI
set, and probably on the morning of the
twenty first day all are Matched out that
will hatch. 1t is better to leave them or
the nest till the morning of the twenty
second day, taking care to remove the
old shell and the rotten eggs the day be
fore.
1t is my practice to feed once before
taking off the brood, but chicks do no.
need food the first day they are out
The needs of that day are the warn
broodingssof the mother hen to dry theil
downy covering and strengthen their lit
tie limbs. Before going out to take of
the brood, an egg should be boiled HARD
and the yolk chopped fine for the first
feed.
My method of removing is to take the
chicks from under one hen and put them
ia little covered basket which the boy
holds close by. Having taken the chicks
from one nest, I lift off the hen 1 in
tend shall have both broods, add heI
chicks to the stock in the bssket, and
transport them all to a warm, sunny spot
in the stable floor, where have a tempo
rary pen placed with a little fresh earth
spread down. Putting down the old hen,
the basket is gently tipped on its side
near her, and her double family runs out
to her protecting cluek.
A. hen can easily brood eighteen to
| twenty chicks, when it is as warm as it is
| after May 1. and as the average hatch of
a pair is more likely to be sixteen than
more, this doubling up is easy and simpli-
fies the care and feeding. The other hen
can reset or returned Eto the pen of
layers.
keep my chicks indoors for a couple
of days, feeding them about every two
hours with the yolk of hard-boiled eggs
alternated with white bread crumbs
soaked in sweet milk, not soppy, but
just moistened. They won't eat much
the first two or three days, and probably
the mother hen eats the bulk of what is
given them, but it is important that
what they do eat shall be good and
stimulating, since good start In the
race is of the greatest Importance, and
check at the start means puny, weak and
dropping chicks, stunted growth and no
eggs to speak of at the end.
Outdoor coops are provided, about
eighteen inches square, like peaked
roof, made of half-inch matched pine,
and I cannot conceive of better thing
for shelter and protection. I have lot
- 40 So hale lo4l,
ength nailed to split Turing, the sections,
being about ten feet long. -Four
pieces tied with marlin at the top cor
ners, with little stakes driven in at the
bottom of the corners, making a cunning
little pen for my brood, giving them
hundred square feet of grass, and easily
moved every five or six days to a fresh
plot. The coop is put down in the GEN.
tire; bit of board for their food, and
shallow dish for water, complete the out
fit; and to this pen the brood is carried
when about three days old. If it is stor
my, / keep them under cover another
day, or if it is warm and sunny they may
be brought ont sooner.
The laths of the fence sections must be
nailed within less than an inch of each
other, and all crannies must be chinked
with bits of boards, or the little scamps
will get out, and the hen will join them
and wander off.
Pens are made the length of lath,
Just the size of the cOops, of such open
work that the chicks can go through but
the hen be kept confined. When the
brood is about ten days to two weeks
old, put the coop-pen down in front of
the coop, take away the fence, let the
chicks run, taking care to move both
coop and pen to fresh grass every three
or four days. A little experience will
make it possible to do this without let
ting out the hen, slowly sliding both
coop and pen sidewise to the fresh spot
just adjoining.
The feeding of chicks is the most i'm
portant part of the business. First off,
thew should be fed often and but little at
a time The yolk of hal boiled egg and
soaked white bread crumbs of the first
two days is followed up by the bread
crumbs soaked in sweet milk alternated
with coarse oatmeal, moistened with
sweet milk, and stiff dough of corn meal
and shorts mixed, stirred up with hot
water and allowed to cool before feeding.
1 feed every two hours the first six weeks.
The hen in a state of nature feeds her
young almost entirely upon animal food,
want our chicks so grow, we follow IA
ture and feed every day some beef chop
ped fine. Trimmings and scraps can be
bought for five cents a pound, or the
common ground scraps can be used in
the dough. It is good sport to dig few
worms for the brood and watch their an
tics as they get outside of them.
Fresh water should be kept always by
| them, and I use shallow pans, an inch
deep, for this purpose, replenishing the
water at least three times day. It used
to be an old woman's within that chicks
shouldn't go on wet grass, but this is
proved to be fallacioGs, as chicks do
better where they wet themselves with
dew, and are less liable to get weakness.
I allow my chicks out soon after sun
rise and let them run all day. On a
rainy day put wide board that is five
or six feet long in front of the coop, one
end resting on the ground and the other
on top of the coop, which gives them
sheltered spot to eat under and hover
under the old hen without obliging them
to stay in the coop. Chickens love the
sunshine, and rainy days are practically
lost days so far as progress gees.-F III.
Hunter. IA, A uey-io07, GuIfirutOY